Two problem children face off

With TSG Hoffenheim and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, two problem children face each other in a direct duel on Thursday evening. Both teams are clearly lagging behind their national expectations and have clearly underperformed in the season so far. In the Europa League, the teams are now looking to build up self-confidence and, at best, to emerge from the crisis with a sense of achievement. Nevertheless, a Hoffenheim vs. Tottenham tip on the three-way market naturally involves risks.

A glance at the table also makes it clear that excitement is guaranteed in any case. While the team of coach Ange Postecoglou, currently in ninth place, is still hoping for a direct ticket to the last sixteen, the Kraichgauer, in 26th place, also have a duty to perform. When two teams meet who, firstly, have plenty of offensive potential and, secondly, absolutely have to play for victory, a prediction of a goal-filled match is an obvious one before the Hoffenheim v Tottenham game.

The slight favorite role, meanwhile, is held by the guests from the English capital. At least the Hoffenheim v Tottenham odds suggest exactly that. The 2.22 on the away win implies a probability of 41%. For the home success, a 3.06 is offered at Merkur Bets.

Hoffenheim – Statistics & current form

TSG Hoffenheim breathed a sigh of relief at the weekend. After nine consecutive competitive games without a win, the team from the Kraichgau region of Germany beat Holstein Kiel 3-1, halting their sporting decline. The success at the Baltic Sea was also important in terms of the table, because if the storks had lost, they could have drawn level with TSG in second-last place in terms of points. Because two high-caliber opponents, Eintracht Frankfurt and Leverkusen, await them in the Bundesliga on the next two matchdays, the complete worst-case scenario of slipping to a direct relegation place was on the cards.

TSG quasi zum Siegen verdammt

Although the situation at the national level is of course still tense, those in charge in the Rhine-Neckar region hope that this first significant sense of achievement since November 23 will serve as a chest-opener for the coming weeks and months. The fact is that the TSG squad is of a high quality, especially in offense, and the blue and whites should actually be in a different league in the German top flight.

The same applies to the UEFA Europa League, in which last season’s seventh-place team has only six points after six games. The team from Sinsheim recorded four of those six points on the first two matchdays. In the following matches, only two more points were added. Before the winter break, there was a bitter 0-3 defeat in Braga and a dreary 0-0 draw at home against FCSB from Bucharest. Twice in a row and in five of the last ten EL games, TSG was without a goal of its own.

I expect that this will change on Thursday evening and that there will be at least four goals in the game, with both teams scoring, before the Hoffenheim v Tottenham clash. A corresponding bet can also be combined with the Betway bonus for new customers. The starting position serves as an additional argument, because as the 26th team in the table, which has a difficult away game in Anderlecht on the last matchday and is currently one point behind the playoff places, only a win counts for the Bundesliga club in their own stadium on Thursday evening.

Tottenham – Statistics & current form

While TSG Hoffenheim has taken the first step out of the crisis, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has not yet managed the same breakthrough. The completely surprising 1-0 victory against Liverpool at the beginning of the year and the 3-0 win against the fifth-tier club Tamworth are excluded at this point, as the Reds relied on their second team in the first leg of the EFL Cup and the supposedly clear victory in the third FA Cup round was only secured after extra time. Just four wins have been celebrated in the last 18 (!) competitive matches.

In the Premier League, there was only one point from the last six matches. The first half at Everton FC at the weekend was even a new low in terms of performance and results in the ongoing negative streak. The Londoners were 3-0 down at half-time against the weakest attack in the English top flight and only managed to improve the score after the break (3-2).

In 15th place in the table, only Wolverhampton, Leicester and bottom-of-the-league Southampton have had to take more defeats at league level than the Spurs (twelve), whose coach Ange Postecoglou is increasingly fearing for his job. Quite a few experts on the island are already describing the EL match in Germany as a game of destiny for the native Greek with Australian roots. The fact that the eloquent and always well-dressed soccer coach has to do without a large number of injured regular players makes the task even more difficult.

Vulnerable, more vulnerable, Tottenham defense!

After a promising start with three wins in the first three Europa League match days, the form curve pointed downwards on the international stage as well. They suffered a 3-2 defeat at Galatasaray. Against Roma and Glasgow Rangers, the Londoners had to settle for draws. As a result, the Lily Whites have slipped to ninth place and will need a strong finish against TSG Hoffenheim and at home to Elfsborg next week to reach the top eight they are aiming for.

If you are too squeamish about adjusting the odds between Hoffenheim and Tottenham for the guest three-pointer in view of the disappointing performances, you should definitely consider over-betting. In 22 PL games with Spurs involvement, 80 (!) goals have already been scored. In seven of the last eight league games, the over 2.5 would have passed, and five times the over 3.5. In the Europa League phase, there were also three goals on average per Tottenham encounter. In two of the last three Europa League games and in seven of the last eight Premier League games involving Postecoglou’s team, a bet on two or more goals in the first 45 minutes would have paid off.

Hoffenheim – Tottenham Direct comparison / H2H record

This is the first time the clubs have faced each other in a direct duel. Hoffenheim’s record against English opponents shows four defeats in four matches. However, Tottenham have also only won one of their last six European Cup matches against German Bundesliga clubs (1-1-4). However, the head-to-head does not have a greater influence on the Hoffenheim v Tottenham betting odds from Thursday anyway.

Hoffenheim – Tottenham Betting Tip

For weeks, Tottenham have somehow dragged themselves through the season. A double-digit number of players are missing through injury. With the trained right-back Archie Gray, an emergency solution in the defensive back three has recently had to be used regularly. Because center-back Dragusin was injured over the weekend and will probably also be out, the personnel emergency in defense is even greater than it already was. So, Spurs’ goal on Thursday must be not to concede one more goal than TSG, but to score one more goal at all costs. Ergo: many goals are to be expected!

Since the prices for Over 2.5 are far too low and a three-way bet makes little sense in my opinion due to many eventualities, my Hoffenheim vs. Tottenham tip is for at least two goals in the first half.